Crespect TØRN

• 1 Batterie 05:36
• 2 Weeep 04:30
• 3 The Flaps 02:11
• 4 Prag 04:12
• 5 HK 3 01:30
• 6 The Grips 00:56
• 7 Subminus 04:40
• 8 Crespect 08:45
• 9 In Flight 01:10
• 10 POL 02:02
• 11 Farago 04:22
• 12 And Now, The Queen 08:18
• Total Runtime 48:12

Info for Crespect

This German piano trio is bookended by two compositions by one of the great ladies of modern jazz, Carla Bley, starting with 'Batterie' from the 1964 Paul Bley album Barrage. And this is not surprising, since 'batterie' is the French word for drums, and this trio is led by drummer Joe Hertenstein, with Achim Tang on bass and Philip Zoubek on piano.

Surprisingly enough, the Bley compositions are the ones with the most recognisable theme, and sound also as the most accessible. Gradually, and especially with 'Flaps', we enter into a different world, one that is more unreal, or is it surreal, with still very jazzy sounds, but eery, sweet, but alienating.

The piano is without a doubt the lead instrument, but the strong cohesiveness, and the incredibly precise playing by Hertenstein and Tang give the pieces a common sound. Listen to the beautiful 'Prag', with its uncanny slow and hesitating development, with bass and drums coloring the sparse touches on the keyboard, full of melancholy and distress at the same time. At the center of the album, we find two short pieces : 'HK3' and 'The Grips', bringing only extended techniques, then moving back seamlessly into Zoubek's 'Subminus', a kind of mirror-image of 'Prag', equally slow and exceptionally beautiful.

The 'pièce de résistance' of the album is Hertenstein's 'Crespect', on which the musicians' strong sense of pace and control is at its best, shifting through a kaleidoscope of subtle rhythm and stylistic changes.

This is very refined and carefully crafted music, taking the traditional jazz trio a step further, developing a great and coherent musical unity in the process, accessible and quite eery an mysterious at the same time. (jazz.newsbeet.com)

Joe Hertenstein, Drums
Achim Tang, Bass
Philip Zoubek, Piano

TØRN is an improvising ensemble of contemporary music. The specific sound of this band is achieved by the high transparency of its powerful improvisations. The decision to base the music on compositions (original or others’) while the ensemble’s approach is improvisation and the protagonists’ situatedness is within the wide field of open improvisation between New Music and Punk Rock, contributed significantly to the concretion of this special band’s collective musical path.

In this extraordinary trio, three fine masters of their craft are working side by side.

Bassist Achim Tang was born in Berlin, spent many years in Vienna and remains one of the most remarkable exponents of his instrument. His sense for harmonies and his exceptional creative talent supply the trio’s music with implausible extensiveness. Achim Tang is ”Improviser in Residence” in Moers, Germany 2011.

Philip Zoubek was born in Vienna, now based in Cologne for more than a decade, is one of Europe’s most expressive young pianists. Thrilling how his lines weave themselves into the dynamic structures of Tang and Hertenstein. Unique is his sensitive and thoughtful way to lead melodies and to let occur and decline form.

Through thrust and swing Joe Hertenstein’s alert drumming is constantly readjusting the music. With his unique sound and language he succeeds in wondrous ways again and again in bundling the emerging ideas. Since 2007 Hertenstein commutes between New York and Cologne.

This album contains no booklet.